Pointers on How to Pass PhilNITS (FE)

For those who would like to challenge the PhilNITS Fundamental Engineer (FE) certification exam, but do not know how to start or how to proceed, I am compiling here some pointers I have gathered through my own experiences, discussions with others who have tried out the exam, and also from my own analysis and researches. I hope some of the information here will be of help in your preparing for the exam...



1. Have the Right Motivation

Everything changes depending on your motivation. If for example it has been your childhood dream to work in Japan as an IT engineer, then having the PhilNITS certification may be your passport in achieving that dream, and you will do everything to be able to improve your chances of passing the exam. Here are but a few more possible motivations for challenging the exam :

• Skill Development and Improvement
• Appreciation and Recognition
• Standardized and Objective Skill Assessment
• Rewarding and Challenging Job or Employment
• Career Advancement
• Advanced Technical Trainings

2. Get to Know PhilNITS Better

I believe in the saying that you need to know more your enemies before you can defeat them. Although PhilNITS is not an enemy, having a better understanding of the background, history, vision and composition of the PhilNITS exam will improve your chance greatly of formulating an effective strategy and eventually passing the exam.

One of the most important matters you need to know about PhilNITS is the basis and the scope of the questions in the exams. PhilNITS utilizes two Bodies of Knowledge (BOK), one is the IT Common BOK (for the morning part of the exam), the second one is the Practical or Core BOK (for the afternoon part of the exam)

You may visit also the following sites for more information :
http://www.philnits.org/
http://abrightfit.blogspot.com/



3. Improve Your Confidence

Even if you have the capabality to pass the exam, but you do not have the confidence, it would be very difficult for you to pass. On the other hand, if you currently do not have the knowledge or capability of to pass the exam, but have confidence about your potentials, then there should be no problem for you in passing the exam, given enough time and support during your preparation.

The tricky part about confidence improvement is on how to measure it. One simple way I can advise is to download a past exam set. Let us take for example the morning exam part, which is composed of 80 questions. Create a checklist for all 80 items, and start placing a check mark for all questions/items for which you are already knowledgable and confident in solving and getting the right answer. Your goal is to have as many questions with check marks. You can measure your confidence level in percentage, or the ratio of the total items with check marks over 80.

In improving your confidence, you should aim for a level higher than the actual exam requirements, as normally the underlying condition during the actual exams makes it more challenging for concentration and focus. So I recommend to set at least a target of 85%, as the actual passing mark for PhilNITS is 75%.

4. Don't Work Hard. Work Smart

The scope of the PhilNITS exam is very wide, and it covers topics usually taken during a regular 4-year BS in Computer Science course. Do not just review or study blindly, as it is almost impossible to cover all the topics in the Body of Knowledge if given only a couple of months to do it. Instead, if you can organize the information about the exam, and about the questions that are coming out, you may be able to formulate an effective strategy that will help guide you where to put focus on. Also, if you are able to objectively measure your understanding of each items, you will be able to determine which items you are weak at, and then start working to improve on them.



5. Attend Organized Reviews

Some people can review or study better alone and by themselves. But if you are already busy with other activities (like school, work, family, etc.), sometimes you need to force yourself to be able to focus on reviewing or preparing for an exam like PhilNITS. In this regard, attending an organized group review might be beneficial for you. An organized group may either be a professionally conducted review, or even just your regular group of friends who decided that you are all in this together in preparing for the exam.
Here are some of the foreseen benefits of attending organized reviews :

• Will Usually Force You to Allocate Time
• Sense of Commitment Other Than to Yourself Only
• Sharing and Discussions
• Expert Tips and Advices
• Coaching and Guidance
• Professional Assessment

And finally, here is a list of References and Materials that might be helpful for your preparation :

1. Past PhilNITS Exams (www.philnits.org/downloads.html)
2. Solutions to Past Exams (available at PhilNITS office, ask for the “Preparation Books”)
3. Textbooks on “Fundamental IT” (available at PhilNITS office)
4. Online Review System (available at PhilNITS office)
5. IT Common Body of Knowledge (www.philnits.org/downloads.html)
6. Practical Body of Knowledge (www.philnits.org/downloads.html)
7. Handbook on PhilNITS (www.philnits.org/downloads.html)
8. Additional Backgrounder on PhilNITS (http://abrightfit.blogspot.com/)